Ascend Hotel Collection Inks Member Agreement With Starwood Capital Group

SILVER SPRING, Md.—Ascend Hotel Collection from Choice Hotels International announced today it has added Postcard Inn on the Beach, St. Pete Beach, Fla., to its portfolio of independent hotels. Postcard Inn is a one-of-a-kind hotel with retro, 1950s, surfer-inspired style. The property is owned by an affiliate of Starwood Capital Group, a leading global real estate investment firm, and managed by Philadelphia-based Hersha Hospitality Management.

“We are excited to join Ascend Hotel Collection and Choice Hotels,” said Roy Shanholtz, vice president, Starwood Capital Group. “Being part of Ascend will build visibility for our hotel before an audience of more than 16 million Choice Privileges rewards members. Starwood expects Choice’s vast distribution channels to help increase awareness and drive occupancy at Postcard Inn, which combines a relaxing atmosphere with unique design elements for a fun and affordable hotel on one of America’s top beaches.”

Postcard Inn sits on St. Pete Beach, a six-mile-long island off Florida’s West Coast. The hotel was built in the 1950s as a two-story, U-shaped motel. A 2009 upgrade transformed it into the Postcard Inn. The hotel is a collaboration of Barry Sternlicht, chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group; famed restaurateur Stephen Hanson and his in-house design team; Philadelphia-based S.L. Design; and landscape architect Christy Ten Eyck, based in Phoenix and Austin, Texas.

Many of the 196 guestrooms feature bona fide surfboards anchored to the wall and standing upright in the corner. While no two rooms are alike, all are outfitted with retro light fixtures, flat-screen televisions, Wi-Fi, and down-filled duvets. Some rooms also have large-scale surfer photos by local artists and quotes from legendary surfers, artists, and musicians. Rooms lining the pool come with patios and hammocks.

The hotel has two gyms, snorkeling, parasailing, shuffleboard, volleyball, Ping Pong , a shady courtyard, picnic area, vintage photo booth, game room, billiard table, business center, and a library. The property also has catering services and indoor and outdoor event venues, including a ballroom, executive boardroom, garden and beach, accommodating 500 people for banquets and receptions and 250 for meetings and conferences.